The invention is in the field of water sports, and more particularly relates to windsurfing and waterskiing, specifically waterskiing on a single ski, or "slalom" ski.
The sport of windsurfing or "sailboarding" was only invented about 15 years ago, as of the date of this application, and yet has become extremely popular, and has completely swept Europe. Sailboard races, various competitions, classes, and just sailboarding for the sport of it is popular in the United States and has taken Europe by storm.
Naturally, with the more advanced competitions and the increasing skill of users of the sailboards, and the increasing value of the prizes to the winners, the sailboards have become increasingly sophisticated, fast, flexible in use, and come in various shapes and sizes to accommodate the differing weights of riders as well as differing conditions and the different uses to which the sailboard will be put. Nonetheless, typically with any of the sailboards currently on the market, except in the very unlikely event that the sailboard will be used only in a specific type of weather and for a specific run at the same angle into the wind, compromises must be made between the different modes in which the board is used.
For example, when running the typical threelegged triangle of a race, the hull configuration is optimal if it is somewhat concave from fore to aft, particularly in its rearward section. The downsloping rear end will tend to hold the bow down in the water against the force of the head wind which would tend to roll the hull backwards and dig the stern into the water. However, when on a broad reach and on a run, such a concave hull contour would cause the prow to dig into the water and make it impossible to proceed with any speed. For this reason, a convex bottom hull contour is optimal for a broad reach or a run so that the bow or prow never "plows." Clearly, with a rigid hull a compromise must be reached resulting in a hull that is neither optimum for running or for pointing, but which will nevertheless function adequately in either capacity.